Social anxiety, anxious self-preoccupation, and recall of self-relevant information.

Theoretical and empirical efforts concerning cognitive processes associated with anxiety have typically emphasized either cognitive deficits (i.e., reduced learning, memory, and task performance) or cognitive excesses (i.e., increased self-focused, ruminative thought). Evidence of these 2 types of cognitive processes has primarily been based on different types of sources (performance measures and self-reports), which precludes direct comparisons of the extent to which cognitive deficits and/or excesses characterize anxiety states. The present study attempted to directly compare the cognitive excesses and deficits associated with social anxiety by operationalizing both types of cognitive phenomena with similar performance measures. 97 undergraduates, selected on the basis of high or low scores on the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, performed a modified self-referent depth-of-processing paradigm under stress or no-stress conditions. Socially anxious Ss in a socially evaluative situation evidenced a specific type of cognitive excess (i.e., concern over evaluations by others) but not cognitive deficits. Results are discussed in terms of person-by-situation models of anxiety and the nature and treatment of social anxiety. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the handicap code of the ICIDH for classifying patients by intensity of nursing care requirements

An 11-class patient classification system (PCS) has been built on a recode of two dimensions of the handicap code of the ICIDH: physical independence and mobility handicaps. The proposed system, called MAC XI, explains 78% of the variance of nursing care hours required by nursing-home residents and extended-care hospital patients. This percentage of variation is higher than the one explained by traditional dependency grids such as the Exton-Smith, Murphy, Kuntzmann and SMAF. MAC XI, based on two dimensions of the handicap code, is thus a powerful tool for predicting intensity of nursing care for staffing and budgeting purposes in long-term care institutions.     

In-situ spectroscopic reflectometry for polycrystalline silicon thin film etch rate determination during reactive ion etchinc

Accurate film thickness monitors are important for the development of real-time feedback control of dry etch processes and are very useful for run-to-run process control and process diagnostics. Technologically important films such as polycrystalline Si, which can have process-dependent refractive indices and/or surface roughness, pose significant challenges for low-cost, high-speed film thickness measurement systems. We have used spectroscopic reflectometry (SR) to make accuratein-situ, high-speed film thickness measurements during plasma etching of polycrystalline Si. The SR system determines the film thickness using a least squares regression algorithm that fits the theoretical reflectance to the experimental reflectance vs wavelength data. We have included physically based models for the variation of the polycrystalline Si bulk refractive indices and surface roughness in the fitting procedure. The parameters of the refractive index models are adjusted at the beginning of each run to account for wafer-to-wafer variationswithout the use of additional ex-situ measurements. We have usedex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry to validate the models used and to check the accuracy of our SR measurements. Currently, our SR system can acquire data in 40 ms and the software can calculate the polycrystalline Si thickness in less than 55 ms per measurement, so that a new film thickness and etch rate estimate can be obtained in less than 100 ms. The methods used for analysis of polycrystalline Si are also directly useful for improving the accuracy of microscope-based spectral reflection measurement systems commonly used for in-line measurements. Using similar optical modeling concepts, the SR technique can also be used to accurately measure film thicknesses and etch rates of other thin films with process-dependent optical constants, such as deposited dielectrics and compound semiconductors.     

Database management standards: status and applicability

This article presents the current status of existing and emerging ISO, ANSI, and FIPS standards for database management, specifically Database Languages NDL and SQL and Remote Database Access (RDA). It describes the general content of each standard and discusses its applicability, availability, completeness, maturity, stability, existing usage, and known limitations. Where appropriate, it also addresses the availability of conformance test suites and future plans for enhancements and follow-on standardization efforts.     

Ultrasonic Evaluation of Oxygen Content, Modulus, and Microstructure Changes in YBa2Cu3O7–x Occuring During Oxidation and Reduction

Ultrasonic velocity measurements were used to evaluate the effects of oxidation and reduction on the oxygen content, elastic properties, and global microstructure of the YBa₂Cu₃O_{7– x} ceramic superconductor for samples ranging from 70% to 90% of theoretical density. Bulk density, velocity, and Young's modulus generally increased with increasing oxygen content upon oxidation, and this behavior was reversible. Velocity image patterns obtained from ultrasonic scans were similar after oxidation and reduction treatments for a 90% dense sample, although the velocity value at any given point on the sample was changed following the treatments. The unchanging pattern correlated with destructive measurements showing that the spatial pore distribution (fraction and size) was not measurably altered after the treatments. Changes in superconducting behavior, crystal structure, and grain structure were observed consistent with changes in oxygn content.     

Mood as input: People have to interpret the motivational implications of their moods.

It was hypothesized that moods have few, if any, motivational or processing implications, but are input to other processes that determine their motivational implications. In Exp 1, Ss read a series of behaviors in forming an impression. When told to read the behaviors until they felt they had enough information, those in positive moods (PMs) stopped sooner than did those in negative moods (NMs). When told to stop when they no longer enjoyed reading the behaviors, NMs stopped sooner than PMs. In Exp 2, Ss generated a list of birds from memory. When told to stop when either they thought it was a good time to stop or they simply felt like stopping, PMs stopped sooner than NMs. When told to stop when they no longer enjoyed the task, NMs stopped sooner than PMs. The findings extend work by others (e.g., D. M. Mackie and L. T. Worth, 1991; N. Murray et al, 1990; N. Schwarz and H. Bless, 1991; R. C. Sinclair and M. M. Mark, 1992). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High levels of mercury contamination in multiple media of the Carson River drainage basin of Nevada: implications for risk assessment

Approximately 5.5 x 109 g (4.0 x 105) of mercury was discharged into the Carson River Drainage Basin of west-central Nevada during processing of the gold- and silver-rich Comstock ore in the late 1800s. For the past 13 decades, mercury has been redistributed throughout 500 km2 of the basin, and concentrations are some of the highest reported values in North America. This article documents the concentrations of mercury in the air, water, and substrate at both contaminated and noncontaminated sites within the basin and discusses the implications for risk assessment. At contaminated areas, the range of mercury concentrations are as follows: mill tailings, 3-1610 micrograms/g; unfiltered reservoir water, 53-591 ng/l; atmospheric vapor, 2-294 ng/m3. These values are three to five orders of magnitude greater than natural background. In all media at contaminated sites, concentrations are spatially variable, and air and water mercury concentrations vary temporally. The study are in situated in a natural mercuriferous belt, and regional background mercury concentrations in all environmental media are higher than values typically cited for natural background. As a mercury-contaminated site in North America, the Carson River Drainage Basin is unusual for a number of reasons, including its location in a natural mercuriferous belt, high and sustained levels of anthropogenic mercury inputs, long exposure time, aridity of the climate, and the riparian setting in an arid landscape, where biological activity is concentrated in the same areas that contain high levels of mercury in multiple media.